Friday, 17 August 2007

Marburg fever alert issued in Lake zone

From IPP Media, Dar es SalaamBy Emmanuel Chacha, MwanzaThe authorities in the Lake Victoria zone have issued an alert following the recent outbreak of the rare and highly fatal Marburg haemorrhagic fever in western Uganda`s Kamwenge district, close to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Government officials in the zone's Kagera, Mara and Mwanza regions say precautions have been taken to stop the disease from spreading to Tanzania from Uganda.

Regional and district health management teams have been charged with helping to ensure that Tanzania is safe from the disease and to swiftly swing into action in the event of an unforeseen outbreak, Mwanza Regional Medical Officer Herbert Bhwana said yesterday.